Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Regulate Commercial Facial Recognition
Two U.S. senators introduce a bill requiring companies to get explicit consent before collecting facial recognition data. The legislation earns immediate praise from Microsoft but excludes law enforcement restrictions.
Senators Brian Schatz and Roy Blunt introduce the Commercial Facial Recognition Privacy Act to establish legislative oversight for commercial facial recognition technology. The bipartisan bill requires companies to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting any facial data and prevents businesses from freely sharing this information with third parties.
Microsoft publicly endorses the proposed legislation, which aligns with the tech giant's recent calls for government regulation of facial recognition. However, the bill focuses strictly on commercial applications and does not include provisions regarding law enforcement use, such as requiring a court order for ongoing government surveillance of specific individuals.
Senator Schatz emphasizes that people deserve control over how their identities are tracked and analyzed by private companies. Regardless of whether the bill ultimately becomes law, it highlights a growing regulatory trend in Congress and shows how tech companies actively attempt to shape upcoming legislation in emerging technology sectors.